It was set aside but not forgotten.
The original Irish Arts Center on Manhattan's 51st Street is to be brought back to life and merged with the new, much larger, and currently operating center on 11th Avenue.
At a ceremony on Monday of this week the center announced it has raised $36 million for the redevelopment of its original 51st Street home, and has commenced the public portion of its Phase Two campaign totaling $50 million, including the costs of the new 51st Street building and the expansion of the organization’s programming, maintenance, and endowment funds.
This "monumental milestone," said a release, has been achieved as the result of the latest investment from the Irish government.
That investment was unveiled Monday by Patrick O’Donovan, Ireland’s Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport. Minister O'Donovan announced a €3 million grant jointly from the Departments of Culture, Communications and Sport, and Foreign Affairs and Trade.
This follows commitments of $6 million from New York City and $3.5 million from New York State earlier this year.
Minister O’Donovan said at Monday's gathering: “I am delighted to announce capital funding of €3m for the Irish Arts Center in New York. The IAC has long been a home from home for Irish artists, providing audiences with the opportunity to engage with Irish arts and culture. My Department, through Culture Ireland, has an ongoing relationship with the IAC through its annual artistic program. The center is a key strategic stepping-off point for Irish artists seeking to grow their audiences throughout North America.”
"Art and culture have the power to break down barriers and bring us closer to our neighbors from around the world, something that drives the mission of the remarkable Irish Arts Center here in New York City," said NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo.
“I am both delighted and grateful for the Republic of Ireland's incredible generosity in supporting this extraordinary institution, which will strengthen the longstanding bonds between New York and Ireland for generations to come.
"The city of New York is proud of its more than $20 million investment in the second phase of Irish Arts Center's visionary campus, where artists from Ireland, New York, and around the world will have space to create work that connects audiences and builds on New York's role as a global hub for art and culture."
Added the release: "The redevelopment of IAC’s original home on West 51st Street follows the successful completion of Phase One, the Center’s new 21,700 square foot facility (including a state-of-the-art flexible theater, cafe, studio and library spaces serving its multidisciplinary mission) on 11th Avenue in 2021, this despite the profound disruption of the global pandemic, and its successful programming and operations over the last four years.
"This second capital project will complete a two-building campus for IAC. This will include a second intimately scaled flexible venue in the location of the original theatre, expanding the potential for one-night performances and presentations by emerging and established musicians, writers, visual artists, and other cultural practitioners who might be less served by the larger-capacity space.
"The 51st Street building will also provide more opportunities for smaller community events. The project is currently in schematic design, and is expected to begin construction in early 2027 and be completed in late 2028.
Aidan Connolly, Executive Director, Irish Arts Center said, "This visionary partnership between the people of Ireland and New York has secured a permanent platform for Irish artists in the cultural capital of the world.
The second phase of this project will deliver a second, intimate, flexible space for Irish artists across a range of backgrounds, disciplines and practices - both established and emerging -for generations to come."
Continued the release: "The organization’s growing success since the opening of its 11th Avenue building has also been evidenced by the scope and star power of their annual fundraising galas: the 2024 Spirit of Ireland Gala honored Meryl Streep and raised a record $3.25 million.
This year IAC honors Conan O’Brien and leading biotech CEO Robert Bradway on November 7th at Pier Sixty in New York City."
